VCSU Men’s & Women’s Basketball Friday

MAYVILLE   (VCSU)  – The Valley City State women’s basketball team couldn’t stop Dakota State Friday night as the Trojans sank 15 3-pointers to defeat the Vikings 77-59 at the Dakota Clash Classic.

Valley City State falls to 2-4 overall while No. 19 Dakota State improves to 6-3 on the season. The Vikings finish play at the Dakota Clash Classic on Saturday with a game against Presentation at 1 p.m.

Dakota State opened with a 15-point advantage after a 28-13 first quarter. The Vikings heated up in the second quarter, shooting 60 percent from the field over the next 10 minutes. Trailing 38-23 with 6:42 on the clock, VCSU finished the half on a 13-3 run capped by a layup from Bayli Heap to trail 41-36 heading into the locker room.

The Trojans then hit five 3’s in the third quarter, including back-to-back 3-pointers from Jessi Giles to lead 56-44 with 1:40 on the clock. The Vikings couldn’t find a run down the stretch as Dakota State continued to pull away en route to a 77-59 victory Friday night.

Adriana Torres led all scorers with 18 points for VCSU while going 7-for-10 from the field. Hailey Roberts and Taryn Dieterle each chipped in eight points and Emma Nielsen added seven. Dieterle grabbed a team-best seven rebounds. Allie Critchley dished out four assists and tallied four steals for the Vikings.

Valley City State shot 45 percent from the field (21-47), 46 percent on 3-pointers (5-11) and 63 percent from the free throw line (12-19). Dakota State shot 46 percent from the field (27-59), 52 percent from 3-point range (15-29) and 80 percent on free throws (8-10).

Valley City State held the rebounding advantage 32-29, but Dakota State scored 27 points off turnovers and 31 points off the bench. The Trojans also tallied 22 assists and 14 steals as a team Friday.

Dakota State’s Lexi Robson totaled 14 points, four assists and two steals while Savannah Walsdorf added 13 points and three steals Friday. Courtney Menning dished out a team-high five assists while scoring nine points for the Trojans. Elsie Aslesen grabbed a team-high five rebounds for Dakota State.

UP NEXT: VCSU closes out play at the Dakota Clash Classic on Saturday. The Vikings face Presentation College at 1 p.m. in Mayville.

(VCSU)  FOREST CITY, IOWA – Connor Entzi made five 3-pointers and four different Vikings scored in double figures Friday night as the VCSU men’s basketball team earned a 98-90 win over Clarke University.

The Vikings led by as many as 20 points early in the second half and then held off a late charge by Clarke to preserve the 8-point victory on day one of the Cobblestone Inn and Suites Classic hosted by Waldorf University.

Valley City State improves to 5-3 overall with its second straight victory. Clarke University drops to 3-4 overall.

Viking point guard Joshua Kelly dished out a season-high eight assists, highlighting a 21-assist night by the VCSU offense. The Vikings poured in 15 3-pointers, including the five by Entzi and three by Chris Thompson.

Entzi’s 19 points led four Vikings in double figures. Thompson poured in 17 points and had six rebounds, while Kevin Schramm finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. Kelly added 11 points to go with his eight assists. Jalen Addison and Eddie Oyet each added nine points, and Uhana Ochan scored eight as part of the balanced Viking attack.

Valley City State shot 48 percent overall (34-71) and 47 percent on 3’s (15-32). The Vikings were 15-for-20 at the free throw line. Clarke finished the game at 46 percent overall (32-69), 39 percent on 3’s (12-31) and 70 percent on free throws (14-20).

The Vikings had an 80-62 lead with 6:44 remaining before Clarke University mounted a late charge. The Pride made five 3-pointers in the final five minutes to pull within 94-90 with 25 seconds to go. Kelly responded with a layup to make it 96-90 and then Schramm made two free throws for the final margin.

Biggie Lister scored 21 points to lead Clarke, which is an NAIA school in the Heart of America conference.

Up next: Valley City State faces Iowa Wesleyan University at 1 p.m. Saturday to wrap up play at the Waldorf tournament.